The Least You Can Do
by LittleRedOne
Summary: When Nick is reluctant to go to the beach like Kevin wants, Macy convinces him other wise. A response to the Pure Horace Mantis Community Challenge - Week/Challenge 1. Nick/Macy friendship.


**A/N:** For _suburb_'s Pure Horace Mantis Community Challenge - Week/Challenge 1. I started writing something for this challenge and it's getting kind of out of control and off point. So I decided that it had to be it's own separate oneshot. I typed this up yesterday at work. It's short and only okay-ish, but it works. And now that I've gotten this done for the first challenge I can work on the second challenge and then the third. Hopefully I'll be done with the third before the fourth is posted! Thanks suburbs for the awesome challenge idea and various ideas you've now got swirling in my head - even though I barely have time to write them. :D

**Disclaimer:** I don't own JONAS or anything related to the show. And I don't own the Jane Austen quote either.

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"_The younger brother must help to pay for the pleasures of the elder." - Jane Austen_

Anybody could tell with one look that Nick was whole-heartedly against the idea of spending the hottest day of the year at the beach. It was common logic to him that if it was this hot then the beach would be packed with people of all ages. It's not that he didn't _want_ to swim and relax – he thought that sounded like a nice idea actually. It was that he knew among the crowd there would be cameras and fans – _fans with cameras_. He just didn't like the idea of pictures of him and his friends in bathing suits popping up all over the internet. Still, he found himself staring out the window from the backseat watching the dotted lines on the road pass by repetitively.

Kevin was driving and Joe had called shot gun so he could control the radio – a fact which relieved Nick. He wasn't sure if he could handle the hour long drive listening to Kevin selected music – it tended to give Nick headaches when Kevin screamed the lyrics along as loud as he could. He glanced over to Macy and Stella – who were having a quiet conversation between themselves – and back out the window with an inward sigh. This would be a long ride.

When they finally reached the beach Nick took his time getting his things together and getting out of the car. He took extra care while refolding his towel and didn't look up until all the edges were perfectly lined. When he looked up and out the window he was surprised to see the backs of both his brothers as they followed Stella's blonde head away. He knew he was taking a long time, but he thought they'd be more patient than that. It wasn't until Joe stepped up beside Stella that he noticed Macy wasn't with them. He'd thought her small frame was just hidden from view behind his brother. He looked around him and was startled to find her sitting very still and very silent beside him.

"Macy," he scolded lightly, not liking having been caught off guard. "Let someone know you're there next time."

She smiled and shrugged. "Stella said to let you do your thing until you were ready to talk."

"Talk?" he narrowed his eyes. "What am I supposed to be ready to talk about?"

"Well," she said slowly, drawing out the word, "Stella and I were talking and we decided you don't really look like you want to be here."

"Huh, what gave you that idea?"

"Don't play games Nick," she said sternly. "Kevin wants to spend a nice day at the beach with his brothers and friends. The least you can do is pretend not to hate it."

"I don't hate the beach," he told her honestly. "I just know it's going to be crowded and loud."

"It's hot out," she countered. "People need to cool off somehow – us included. We can't just sit around in the air conditioning all day. We're _all_ too active for that."

"I'd rather be back at home going down a slip and slide." Nick saw Macy's face change from reasoning to annoyed as he muttered the words and inwardly groaned. He missed the days before Macy was a close friend – he never would have talked to her in any way other than polite back then. "There's nothing good for me at the beach. Watch, I'll probably get sunburned."

"Nick!" She practically snapped his name out and he was struck by how odd the tone was to him. Macy didn't get annoyed with him – ever. She was usually so understanding – too understanding really. "Just do this for Kevin will you? You don't want to be here, I get that, really I do, but do you think he wanted to go see that new museum exhibit with you last weekend? Because he didn't," she went on. "He wanted to go with your mom and Frankie to the movies, but you asked him to go to the exhibit with you because Stella was occupying Joe's time and he didn't even hesitate to go with you."

"Yeah but-"

"And you probably didn't even think to thank him for going," she cut him off. "So I think you could manage to spend some time at the beach for him."

Nick wouldn't lie – he kind of felt like he was being slapped in the face. She didn't think he would even thank his brother for something like that. And worse, he _didn't_thank him. He didn't even think to – just like she had suggested. Because that's what brothers and best friends did for each other wasn't it? They gave up some of their own wants for each other. Except Nick can't really recall doing so very often – for either of his older brothers. Sure, he'd skipped out on some things he'd wanted to do so he could do some things with Frankie, but it'd never occurred to him that as he did that for his younger brother maybe his older brothers did it for him. He'd never thought of himself as selfish until that moment. And suddenly the beach didn't seem so bad. Maybe a few pictures would pop up on the internet and he'd have to sign some autographs when he wanted to relax and have fun, but those prospects didn't seem as bad anymore if it would make Kevin happy.

"Okay," he said slowly, looking over to Macy. "You're right. Let's go to the beach."

"Wonderful," she beamed, instantly back to her cheerful self. "Kevin'll be so happy."

Nick fell back into thought as he climbed out of the car. Maybe he'd take Kevin and Joe out to dinner on him that night too. The more he thought about it, the more he was starting to understand how much he had always under-appreciated his brothers. And maybe he'd have to do something for Macy for making him start to see as well. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her fall in step beside him and he smiled over at her. "Thanks Mace."

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading. :)


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